GILF Hunter

Chapter 321 How Many

’Whew....’

Ian let his body sink into the sofa in the lounge.

It was late in the evening when he returned after finishing the meetings at the Guild.

He couldn’t even remember how many days it had been this time.

Tanya, approaching Ian who was lying there like a corpse with his eyes closed, asked quietly.

’Are you all right?’

’No....’

Since a response came back, fortunately, he wasn’t a corpse.

Ian, who had been resting his eyes for a moment, regained his senses and raised his head.

’There’s not much time left. Is it still not over?’

’No. I think it’s mostly wrapped up.’

With the monster invasion just around the corner, the endless cycle of meetings had finally reached a conclusion.

This year’s meetings were particularly intense because of the agenda Ian had brought forward, largely due to the immense dissatisfaction from those in charge of the walls.

It wasn’t like they could suddenly make non-existent troops appear out of thin air.

In the end, they had to pull them from somewhere, so naturally, there was pushback when told they had to strip away defensive forces from the walls to prepare for an unproven emergency situation.

He struggled a bit because of that, but thanks to being involved in the meetings from the start, he was able to persuade them personally and draft a more proper plan.

Raising his head, Ian spoke to the members gathered around him.

It was time to inform them since the personnel assignments had finally been finalized.

’Rin, Lia, and Mika will join the standby unit on the surface.’

It was exactly as they had heard from Ian beforehand.

According to Lia, who had experience being part of a standby unit, it was a role that usually ended with literally just standing by.

The wall defense force handles the monsters, and for places needing help, the reserve and response units are deployed first.

The emergency standby unit is for truly ultimate crisis situations. For example, when a wall collapses and monsters pour into the city in large numbers.

Just hearing about it made it seem like a unit with absolutely nothing to do.

However, according to Ian’s predictions, there was a high possibility that monsters would enter the city this time. It was a situation where the standby unit would have to step up.

The members, who had already heard the explanation, all nodded.

’And Anne, Karen, and Seria will be in the underground waterways.’

The task for this side was similar to last year.

Thanks to the great effectiveness of the underground waterway defense method Ian had handled last time, they decided to use the same plan again.

It was because it gained attention for significantly reducing the number of personnel required and for the fact that the combat ability of the members didn’t have a huge impact.

However, since Ian had to be on the surface this time, he couldn’t directly take charge of the underground waterways like before.

Field command was to be left to another military officer who had participated at the time, but they still needed to send someone with experience participating.

’Tanya. Please.’

’Yes. Leave it to me.’

Ultimately, it was decided that Tanya, who had direct experience from last time, would go to the underground waterways.

If Tanya was there, no major variables should occur even without Ian.

’By the way, um... Captain.’

Checking her surroundings, Tanya sneaked up to his side and asked cautiously in a small voice.

’Are we... doing ’that’ again this time?’

Tanya asked seriously with a slightly excited expression. Her face looked like she was expecting something.

She was likely referring to the act of secretly siphoning expensive items into a hidden room.

It seemed she found what they did back then quite fun....

’The person in charge this time is a soldier, so no.’

’...Okay.’

’I mean it, we really can’t.’

’Ah, yes....’

Tanya walked back with a slightly dejected face.

＊ ＊ ＊

With the monster invasion imminent, Labyrinth entered war preparations.

It was a period when guards on the walls increased several times over, and all forces were on standby to start combat at any moment.

A heavy tension hung over the city just before the war.

Ian entered a temporary barracks set up on one side of the street. It was a barracks for the standby unit located quite far to the rear.

As Ian looked around inside, he spotted his members gathered in one area. Since it wasn’t a good time to talk, they simply made eye contact and nodded in greeting.

Chris followed Ian into the barracks shortly after. The gazes of the gathered mercenaries all turned toward him.

Chris surveyed the mercenaries gathered inside the barracks.

Some melee combat classes to handle the surface.

Most of the rest were archers and supporters to assist them.

Thanks to this, complaints were loud everywhere.

It was because this much long-range power had been siphoned away from the front lines.

Of course, the mercenaries assigned here naturally had grievances as well.

They were the kind of mercenaries best suited for racking up achievements on a front line like this, yet they were placed in a standby unit. It was no different from throwing gold coins onto the ground in real-time.

’Is this for real?’

One of the mercenaries waved the plan that had been distributed earlier.

It was the operation plan for this time.

Since they couldn’t just drag them to a standby unit without any explanation, they had naturally distributed it in advance and explained the situation to the participants.

’Probably.’

’What do you mean ’probably’....’

Hearing Chris’s firm answer, one mercenary sighed as if it were absurd.

If asked if there was proof, this was the only way to react right now.

It was fortunate enough that there were people who actually believed it, allowing them to persuade the rest and prepare at least this much.

Still, the mercenaries gathered here didn’t argue too much.

There’s no way they’d cause a scene on this scale without any certainty. With that thought, everyone looked back over the plan for this operation once more.

One mercenary muttered absentmindedly.

’Wow.... If this place fails, where do we even go?’

’Work hard so it doesn’t fail.’

Chris, who was doing a final status check with Ian, replied.

──.

Soon, the sound of a massive bell ringing was heard from outside the barracks.

An urgent sound echoing throughout the city. It was the signal for the start of the invasion.

’It’s started.’

Soon, the surroundings were filled with chaos.

Vibrations shaking the earth, the shouts of people, and the sound of explosions could be heard.

’Let’s get ready.’

The mercenaries in the barracks nodded and all stood up.

＊ ＊ ＊

Countless arrows and spells poured down over the walls.

Shouts echoing from all directions and the screeches of numerous monsters from outside the walls spread out in a chaotic mess.

Behind that, below the walls, many people were running around busily.

’Send them this way, what about the arrows?’

’Arriving soon!’

’Send them up as soon as they get here!’

Soldiers and mercenaries carrying boxes traversed the streets without rest.

Supply units moving goods, reserve units waiting for rotation, and messengers sprinting through the streets.

It was the supply line located just behind the front line, below the walls.

In a supply line slightly removed from that battlefield.

One soldier in the rear, who was moving boxes, collapsed with a scream.

Everyone looked back in confusion, stopping their steps when they discovered the fallen soldier.

’What happened!’

’It’s an attack!’

A pool of blood slowly formed beneath the fallen soldier’s body.

Did a long-range attack luckily make its way over? Or was it an ambush by an aerial monster missed at the wall?

While they were hurriedly assessing the situation, another soldier nearby collapsed.

’Where did it come from! Everyone, take cover!’

When soldiers collapsed one after another in a place with nothing around, everyone thought long-range attacks were flying in from somewhere.

To avoid the incoming attacks, everyone hurriedly raised shields or hid behind boxes.

Meanwhile, a mercenary near the fallen soldier lowered his body and approached quickly to check the wound.

A wound that looked as if it were sliced by something sharp. He was struck from behind.

’The back...?’

Feeling a sudden chill, the mercenary quickly raised his head.

In his eyes, as he checked the rear, he saw small footprints being pressed down.

Footprints pressed into the pool of blood on the ground with a faint splashing sound.

They were clearly the tracks of a monster, not a human.

Something was in front of them. An invisible monster.

’Something is here! There’s something invisible!’

Hearing the mercenary’s shout, everyone turned their heads.

In their eyes as well, the scene of footprints being pressed into the empty floor became visible.

’Attack!’

Nearby soldiers and mercenaries all grabbed their weapons and swung toward the invisible ’something’.

Most of the attacks missed, but a few soldiers felt the sensation of something catching on their weapons.

Something... I cut it!

A small, screeching cry.

The invisible, transparent thing retreated quickly as soon as it took damage.

The transparent monster did not counterattack the opponents who hit it.

Instead, realizing its presence had been discovered, it fled immediately.

The monster quickly leaped backward, scaled a nearby wall, jumped over the building, and vanished somewhere.

It was a flight so swift that no one even had time to react.

They confirmed which direction it fled by looking at the bloody footprints, but they couldn’t give chase once it jumped over the wall.

Everyone looked up at the building wall and shouted in panicked voices.

’I-it escaped!’

’Pursue it!’

’It went onto the roof, how are we supposed to...!’

’Tsk....’

The field commander who was shouting grimaced and scanned the surroundings.

...Just where did it enter from?

In fact, looking at its flight just now, there was no need to wonder.

It had jumped over the wall and entered.

Amidst the chaos of battle, that thing, invisible to the eye, would have easily crossed the wall.

’Messenger! Emergency report to command! A monster has infiltrated!’

The commander called a messenger and hurriedly wrote an interim report to send to command.

Internal monster infiltration.

Type... Unknown.

Enemy numbers....

The hurriedly moving pen came to a dead stop.

Is it just one?

Or.

The commander raised his head with a stiff face, turned around, and stared at the city.

The streets stretched out with a suffocating silence.

Just how many of those things... have actually come inside?